Think Big Partners and the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Gear Up for the 2nd Annual iKC Conference
First there was Think Big Kansas City. Then came The Gigabit Challenge. Then came iKC. And now, Think Big Partners and the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce are excited to announce the next event all about innovation and entrepreneurship—the 2nd annual iKC conference!
iKC 2012 was one for the books. The event brought in some of the region’s great innovators, entrepreneurs, startups and corporations together for a day of inspiration and innovation.
iKC 2013 will be no different. Get ready to set your creativity, your motivation and your entrepreneurial thinking ablaze for the second year in a row! The 2nd annual iKC conference will be hosted in Kansas City in June of 2013.
More announcements about the upcoming iKC 2013 will be out soon...stay tuned.
What is a Fire Up? We’ll SHOW You.
iKC is bringing the first-ever Fearless Innovators’ and Ruthless Entrepreneurs’ Unconventional Pitch (Fire Up) to the innovation and entrepreneurship event on June 20th. But what is a Fire Up, exactly? Instead of telling you, we thought we would show you with an example of our own Fire Up presentation! Check out the video below (it’s super fast...so prepare yourself) and then sign upto participate or sponsor a Fire Up today!
iKC Announces KC Business Magazine and The Kansas City Business Journal as Media Sponsors
Think Big Partners and the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce have announced the formation of two media sponsorships to jointly produce the innovation and entrepreneurship conference known as iKC with KC Business Magazine and The Kansas City Business Journal.
iKC, formerly known as The Chamber’s Innovation Conference and Think Big Partners’ Think Big Kansas City, is a day-long conference that will be hosted by H&R Block. The mission of the conference is to foster innovation and creativity in Kansas City, help build the “City of Entrepreneurs”, and provide innovation and startup opportunities for corporations, KC businesses and entrepreneurs. The conference will take place on June 20, 2012 at the H&R Block World Headquarters in downtown Kansas City.
iKC will spotlight keynote speaker Dr. Michael E. Raynor, author of The Innovators Solution and director at Deloitte Consulting LLP. In addition to the keynote speech, iKC will feature a number of other expert speakers, panelists, Fire Up presentations, Inspire Talks, networking opportunities and an after-party at the KC Live Block.
As two top providers of entrepreneurship and business news in the Kansas City community, KC Business Magazine and The Kansas City Business Journal are natural partners to collaborate with in order to promote and execute the iKC event. Both publications offer ongoing commitment, support and coverage of entrepreneurship and innovation in and around the Kansas City area.
Other iKC sponsors include Master Your Card Missouri, H&R Block, bizperc, Inboun and Piscator Media. Think Big Partners and The Chamber are currently pursuing other organizations interested in sponsoring Kansas City’s newest conference on innovation and entrepreneurship. If interested in a sponsorship, please call (816) 842-5244 or visit www.sparkinginnovation.org.
iKC Announces Master Your Card Missouri as Presenting Sponsor
Kansas City-based startup accelerator and business incubator Think Big Partners and the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce have announced Master Your Card Missouri as the presenting sponsor for the June 20th innovation and entrepreneurship conference known as iKC.
Master Your Card Missouri is a public education campaign from MasterCard which helps consumers, small businesses and governments get more from their money by using prepaid, debit and credit cards to their advantage. Master Your Card Missouri uses its innovative technology to run an electronic payment network that delivers instantaneous, affordable and safe transactions through cards.
The Master Your Card Missouri program is an entrepreneurial approach to the world of payment that aligns with the message that iKC will send this spring. The program allows for consumers, small businesses and governments to improve awareness of financial inclusion, awareness of financial literacy, negotiation tactics, knowledge of electronic payment processes and technical assistance.
“As a technology company that happens to be in the payments space, customers and cardholders look to MasterCard for cutting-edge advancements in the space, so that they can pay for the things that matter to them in the way that they prefer," said Rob Reeg, President of MasterCard Technologies. "Doing so means skills like being innovative and demonstrating entrepreneurial spirit are crucial for us, and a reason that we’ve chosen to support the iKC 2012 event. As a company with our technology headquarters based in Missouri, we look forward to the valuable content the sessions will offer to attendees, as well as the opportunity to introduce our Master Your Card Missouri public education campaign to help businesses, consumers and governments get more value from the technology we offer.”
iKC, formerly known as The Chamber’s Innovation Conference and Think Big Partners’ Think Big Kansas City, is a day-long conference that will be hosted by H&R Block. The mission of the conference is to foster innovation and creativity in Kansas City, help build the “City of Entrepreneurs”, and provide innovation and startup opportunities for corporations, KC businesses and entrepreneurs. The conference will take place on June 20, 2012 at the H&R Block World Headquarters in downtown Kansas City. Think Big Partners and The Chamber are thrilled to partner with Master Your Card Missouri to help foster the growth of innovation and entrepreneurship in the Kansas City area through the creation of a day-long conference.
“The iKC Conference will bring together some of the most innovative minds in the Kansas City region and beyond,” said Jim Heeter, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. “We’re thrilled to have Master Your Card Missouri as a sponsor of this exciting event, which moves us that much closer to our Big 5 goal of making Kansas City America’s most entrepreneurial city.”
To become a sponsor or speaker for the iKC event on June 20, 2012, please visit http://www.sparkinginnovation.org. To purchase a ticket, please visit the iKC registration page.
iKC Announces Keynote Speaker, Michael E. Raynor
KANSAS CITY, MO—April 25, 2012—iKC, Kansas City’s innovation and entrepreneurship conference on June 20, 2012, will feature keynote speaker Michael E. Raynor, author of the The Innovator’s Solution and director at Deloitte Consulting LLP.
Michael Raynor has been featured on The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times bestseller lists for his first book, The Innovator’s Solution. His second book, The Strategy Paradox, has been named one of 2007’s 10 Best Business Books by BusinessWeek. In addition, Raynor’s third book, The Innovator’s Manifesto, has been ranked 14th in Inc. Magazine’s September 2011 Top 25 Business Book Bestseller list. All three of Raynor’s books focus on creating and sustaining successful growth in business.
In addition to writing, Raynor is the director of Deloitte Consulting LLP and provides consulting services to senior executives in the world’s leading corporations across a wide range of industries. In client projects and research such as these, Raynor explores the challenges of corporate strategy, innovation and growth.
Michael Raynor will speak on topics of innovation and business strategy at iKC, the upcoming innovation and entrepreneurship event in Kansas City. iKC, formerly known as The Chamber’s Innovation Conference and Think Big Partners’ Think Big Kansas City, is a day-long conference that will be hosted by H&R Block. The mission of the conference is to foster innovation and creativity in Kansas City, help build the “City of Entrepreneurs” and provide innovation and startup opportunities for corporations, KC businesses and entrepreneurs.
“We are excited to have a world class speaker like Michael Raynor give the keynote speech at our innovation and entrepreneurship conference, iKC,” said Herb Sih, co-founder of Think Big Partners. “There has never been a more important time in our city’s history to bring innovation and entrepreneurship together and encourage collaboration that will benefit the city for years to come.”
iKC takes place on June 20, 2012 at the H&R Block World Headquarters. Early-bird tickets are on sale now through May 23, 2012. The conference is currently seeking sponsors and speakers. iKC is hosted by Think Big Partners, LLC and The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. To learn more, visitwww.sparkinginnovation.org or call (816) 842-5244.
iKC Announces First Wave of Sponsors
A big thanks to our community leaders who have stepped up to make iKC possible! Our first wave of sponsors includes:
Want to join the iKC movement and become a part of something big? Contact us today to receive more sponsorship information.
Are You a Dynamite Speaker?
Do you have what it takes to fire up an audience and feed minds with experience and ideas? If so, we want you!
Help us turn Kansas City into the City of Entrepreneurs and become a speaker at iKC. We want your stories, we want your expertise and we want you to share what you know with a group of ready-to-learn entrepreneurs and innovators. There are two different types of speaking opportunities at iKC:
Breakout Speakers:
iKC is looking for presenters and panelists to become a part of our many breakout sessions. Each breakout session will provide 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes of killer content. iKC is currently seeking experts who are dynamite presenters in the following areas:
- Universal skills and knowledge
- Innovation for small enterprises
- Innovation for large enterprises
- Entrepreneurship
Inspire Talks:
In addition to hosting more traditional breakout sessions, iKC will also host Inspire Talks. Inspire Talks are 10-12 minute quick fire presentations on a speaker’s certain topic (think TED Talks).
Interested in becoming an iKC speaker? Be sure to check out our Speakers page for more information. Contact us and send your speaking idea, past speaking experiences, breakout or Inspire Talks preference and a bio.
